Editorial Assistant Rogério Flávio Pessa
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Volume 71, Number 1 - Suppl., 2011 Editorial Board Takako Matsumura-Tundisi (Editor-in-chief) André Moldenhauer Peret Angelo Antonio Agostinho Catarina Satie Takahashi Denise de Campos Bicudo Donato Seiji Abe Ernesto J. Gonzáles Rivas Flávio Henrique Silva Fernando Rosado Spilki Guillermo Chalar Marquisá Ima Célia Guimarães Vieira José Antonio Mendes José Galizia Tundisi Katherine Vammen Liliana Forneris Marcelo Augusto Marretto Esquisatto Marcos Gomes Nogueira Odete Rocha Editorial Assistant Rogério Flávio Pessa Proofreading Chloe Furnival Copyright Published by International Institute of Ecology, a business unit of The International Institute of Ecology, Inc., 750 Rua Bento Carlos, São Carlos, SP - Brazil. Copyright © 2005 by The International Institute of Ecology, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of The International Institute of Ecology, Inc., including but not limited to, in any network or other eletronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. Some ancillaries, including eletronic and print components, may not be available to customers outside. Revista Brasileira de Biologia / Brazilian Journal of Biology® Vol. 1, n. 1 (abr. 1941) Quaterly published Text and abstract in english; abstract in portuguese Printed with support of ASRBB® and Universidade Anhanguera/Uniderp. ISSN 1519-6984 1. Ecology 2. Zoology 3. Botany 4. Celular Biology Online version: www.scielo.br/bjb Cover illustration: • Local: Ninhal and corixo - Pantanal - Brazil • Photografed by: Ricardo Zig Koch Cavalcanti/Banco de Imagens ANA (Agência Nacional de Águas) Graphics production: Desktop publishing and cover art: April, 2011 Volume 71, Number 1 - Suppl., 2011 Guest Editors Cleber J. R. Alho (Editor-in-chief) Elizabeth Teresa Brunini Sbardelini Eva Teixeira dos Santos Silvio Favero Ademir Kleber Morbeck de Oliveira Mercedes Abid Mercante José Sabino ISSN 1519-6984 Brazilian Journal of Biology® VOLUME 71 APRIL, 2011 NUMBER 1 - SUPPL. EDITORIAL NOTE Among the wetlands of Brazil, the Pantanal occupies a very important position. With its almost 200,000 km2, this tropical wetland harbours a diverse flora and fauna which is a result of the intensive interactions of flooding in rivers, lakes, natural channels, creeks and streams. Knowledge of the Pantanal biodiversity is of prime importance for its conservation and the identification of the ecosystem services of this large wetland. This volume constitutes an effort to characterise the Pantanal´s biodiversity and it is one more contribution from the Brazilian Journal of Biology to improve knowledge on Neotropical biodiversity. The Editorial Board PRESENTATION The United Nations has declared 2010 the “International Year of Biodiversity”, to celebrate biological diversity and emphasise its importance in our lives. Brazil is one of the signatories of the Convention on Biological Diversity and is implementing its recommendations towards conservation and sustainable use of its territory. Additionally, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests. The Pro-reitoria de Pesquisa e Pós-graduação (responsible for graduate studies and research) of the Anhanguera/Uniderp university is proud to give its shared support, along with the Instituto Internacional de Ecologia (International Institute of Ecology -IIE), in producing this special number of the Revista Brasileira de Biologia (Brazilian Journal of Biology) on the Biodiversity of the Pantanal. It aims to provide unified scientific information, secure regional academic contributions and improve the conservation of our important neighbouring biome. Authors include researchers from different institutions of our region as well as from national agencies. The volume is organised to emphasise scientific and cultural knowledge on biodiversity, focussing on its conservation under natural circumstances. The focus on biodiversity reflects the increasing interest and concern among Brazilian academics and the general public for the importance of the diversity of life within the Pantanal. This increased motivation and attention are expressed in the Brazilian Constitution of 1988, declaring the biome a National Heritage Area, as well as the international recognition with the declaration of Wetland of International Importance under the Convention on Wetlands (RAMSAR), and as a Biosphere Reserve, granted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This volume brings together a number of articles expressing different views on a diverse array of subjects as a collaborative action for the same purpose: emphasising the value of academic research for increased knowledge about the richness of species and natural habitat conservation. The main message of this special volume is to stress the benefits of knowing and conserving the Pantanal’s biota, which our society cannot afford to lose. Scientists, the media, and the public in general are aware of the many convincing arguments for the importance of our biodiversity. Individual attitudes are important, but institutional action, which motivates the publication of this volume, contributes to our placing a higher value on biology, from molecules to ecosystems, and to avoiding the tragedies associated with species loss. The 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth, celebrated on 12 February of 2009, was a gratifying event, given his position as the father of modern biology; his theory of evolution and the broader principle of natural selection are strikingly present in the Pantanal’s biodiversity. His celebrated Origin of Species serves as a stimulus, reminding us how powerfully a publication brings insights and practical benefits together towards a more hopeful future for protected nature. Prof. Dr. Guilherme Marback Neto President (Rector) University Anhanguera/Uniderp, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil OVERVIEW: EDITOR’S FOREWORD Biodiversity of the Pantanal: its magnitude, human occupation, environmental threats and challenges for conservation Alho, CJR.* Programa de Pós-graduação em Meio Ambiente e Desenvolvimento Regional, Universidade Anhanguera – Uniderp, Rua Alexandre Herculano, 1400, CEP 79037-280, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil *e-mail: [email protected] Received October 14, 2010 – Accepted December 13, 2010 – Distributed April 30, 2011 The Pantanal biome is a wetland – a floodplain in a Fish. Fish are an important resource, both ecologically geographic depression – formed by the Paraguay River and and socially. Britiski et al. (1999) listed 263 species for its tributaries from the left bank: Bento Gomes, Cuiabá, the Pantanal. However, a survey carried out in the Negro São Lourenço-Itiquira, Taquari, Negro, Aquidauana- River region of the Pantanal showed that 19% of the species Miranda, Nabileque, and Apa. The Paraguay River and collected are believed to be new to science (Willink et al., its tributaries form the Upper Paraguay Basin and drain 2000). This list does not include species living in the upper into the Pantanal depression, running southward between river habitats. The number of fish species increases from highlands to the west and the upland plateaus to the east, the headwaters (plateau upland region or planalto) to the where the tributaries have their springs. These large rivers base of the drainage (Pantanal). are shaped largely by type of soil, water flow rate, levels Because of the great variety of feeding and reproductive of dissolved oxygen, nutrient loads, temperature, and type niches for fish, the Pantanal harbours high species abundance. of river bed. The rivers are slow moving when they leave Fishing is of fundamental social-economic importance for the upland plateaus surrounding the floodplain and meet local people. In addition, fishing for sport is one of the the flatlands, where they periodically overflow their banks. incentives to bring tourists to the region. Junk et al. (2006) The maze of fluctuating water levels within this discuss more on fish diversity of the Pantanal. sedimentary floodplain, plus annual nutrient cycling Fish resources in the Pantanal have been recognised though biogeochemical cycles with influx of nutrients, according to their use as: particulate material, microorganisms and invertebrates • a fundamental biotic component of the ecosystem, form a dynamic ecosystem, with a complex mosaic of supporting the local biodiversity and being habitats and diverse and abundant wildlife. The four part of it; phases of the hydrological cycle (water rising or flooding, • food for subsistence and income of local people; flood season, receding water or drainage season, and dry • of interest for sport fishing; season) are essential for wildlife. The annual tides of the • a genetic resource; rivers, causing seasonal flooding, result in availability of • an ornamental resource. feeding and reproductive niches for wildlife. Herpetofauna. Compared to other Brazilian biomes, Macroinvertebrates. The diversity of benthonic the Pantanal presents a herpetofauna low in diversity but macroinvertebrates (zoobenthos such as decapods, molluscs, high in abundance. There are 135 herpetofaunal species oligochaetes, insect larvae which feed upon microoganisms living on the plains (40 species of anuran amphibians, and algae) were estimated in 70 taxa (Takeda